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Playa Guiones surf forecast
Playa Guiones is an exposed beach break in Nosara that faces south-west and takes swell from the south round to the west. It is one of the most consistent waves in the world, with more than 330 days a year of rideable conditions.
Guiones surf report, hour by hour
The table shows wave height, swell direction and period, wind and tide for Playa Guiones through the day. This forecast is for open water near the shore, so breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Updated 01:58next run 06:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
Today 3 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, offshore NE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 02:36
- High
- 08:43
- Low
- 15:03
- High
- 21:26
- Sunrise
- 05:33
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, cross-offshore SE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 03:52
- High
- 09:58
- Low
- 16:11
- High
- 22:36
- Sunrise
- 05:33
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Skip: big for this spot, well overhead, cross-shore SE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 04:58
- High
- 11:06
- Low
- 17:11
- High
- 23:30
- Sunrise
- 05:34
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, cross-shore SSE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 05:53
- High
- 12:05
- Low
- 18:03
- Sunrise
- 05:34
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Playa Guiones (9.930, -85.663). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind arrow first. Wind from the north-east blows offshore here and cleans up the faces. Winds from the south-west quarter blow straight onshore, because the beach faces that way.
Playa Guiones and the breaks nearby
Guiones is a beach break with lefts and rights, and it gets busy when the surf is up. It is one of five beach communities around Nosara, with Pelada, Nosara, Garza and Ostional close by. Much of the coast here stays undeveloped because it is part of the Ostional Wildlife Refuge.
Playa Guiones
Beach breakAll levelsThis is the main event, an exposed beach break with both lefts and rights. The surf is consistent, with rideable conditions on more than 330 days a year.
Our setup lists it for all levels, but rip currents come in when the swell is big. A surf camp has run here since 1998 and now works year-round, teaching beginners and intermediate surfers. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Playa Pelada
Nearby beachLocal favouritePelada is a popular surf spot close to Guiones, and it is where many locals, the Ticos, like to hang out. It sits about 3 km from Guiones. Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.surf-forecast.com
Playa Nosara (Nosara Beach)
Nearby beachAbout 7 kmPlaya Nosara is one of the five main oceanfront communities of the area. Surf-Forecast lists it as a separate surf spot about 7 km from Guiones. Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.surf-forecast.com
Ostional
Wildlife refugeAbout 14 kmOstional lies about 14 km away and appears on forecasts as its own spot. The Ostional Wildlife Refuge, which covers much of the Nosara coast, exists because of breeding olive ridley and leatherback sea turtle populations. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · en.wikipedia.org
What Playa Guiones needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
South to west swells
The beach faces south-west and picks up swell from about south round to west. Clean groundswell is common here.
Wind
North-east wind is offshore
Wind from the north-east blows offshore at Guiones. Winds from the south-west blow straight in and chop up the faces.
Tide
Mid tide is best
Our setup marks mid tide as the sweet spot. The beach still has waves at other tides too.
Size
Best at 0.9–2 m
Guiones works best when waves are 0.9 to 2.0 m. Below about 0.4 m it is too small to bother with, and above 3 m it gets too big and the rips grow strong.
Shortcut: a south-west swell of 1–2 m, a light north-east wind and a mid tide is the classic Guiones day.
The best months to surf Playa Guiones
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Playa Guiones's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Dec–FebThe best run of the year
January and February bring the most good days, about one in four, and half or more of days are at least fair. Last December, almost every day (97%) was fair or better.
Mar–MayFewer standout days
Good days drop to between 6% and 10% in these months. May picks up again, with fair-or-better surf on 42% of days.
Jun–AugThe quietest stretch
June is the leanest month in our data, with good surf on only 3% of days. July and August are a little better, with fair-or-better surf on about a quarter of days.
Sep–NovMixed, with good spells
September and November each bring good surf on about 20% of days. October is the weak spot, with fair-or-better surf on only 12% of days.
Before you go
Hazards and help
Rip currents form when the swell is big, so pick your entry with care and stay out of the water if you are unsure. The Surf-Forecast guide also warns about sharks at Guiones.
Nosara has a Red Cross clinic in the town center but no hospital. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · en.wikipedia.org
Getting there
Nosara Airport is about 15 minutes from the beaches, and Sansa Airlines flies there. Taxis also run from the big international airports in San José and Liberia.
National Route 160 serves the district. Many roads on the Nicoya peninsula are still unpaved. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Getting around
The town center is 6 km inland from the beach, and the area is spread out and surrounded by jungle. Locals mostly use motorbikes. Visitors often rent ATVs or golf carts, which cost less than cars, or call a tuk tuk that seats up to three.
The Esperanza neighbourhood sits between the first two beach entrances on the south side of Guiones. It has the area's largest market. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Crowds
Guiones gets crowded, especially when the surf is up. In 2017, economists named Nosara the fastest-growing surf town in the world.
If the main peaks are packed, nearby Playa Pelada is another popular option. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · en.wikipedia.org
Water temperature and wetsuit
The sea stays warm all year, from about 28 °C in February and November to almost 31 °C in May. An early-November forecast recommended trunks or a bikini for the water. Sources: surfcaptain.com
Best time of day
In early-November forecasts, mornings were often clean, and some afternoons turned choppy as a south wind picked up. Around then the sun rose at about 5:33 am and set at about 5:17 pm, so dawn sessions start early. Sources: surfcaptain.com · es.surf-forecast.com · deepswell.com
Off the water
Guiones is also known as a yoga hub in Costa Rica, with several well-known yoga schools. There is a Banco Popular branch in a small shopping area near the beach. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off Playa Guiones. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for Costa Rica, so 4 stars at Playa Guiones is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
Playa Guiones surf questions
Is Playa Guiones good for beginners?
Yes, it is a beach break that suits all levels. A surf camp there has taught beginners and intermediate surfers since 1998. Stay careful when the swell is big, because rips form.
When is the best time to surf Playa Guiones?
December to February is the strongest season, with January and February giving good surf on about a quarter of days. June and October are the leanest months.
How cold is the water in Playa Guiones in December?
It is not cold at all; the sea is about 28.7 °C in December.
How consistent is the surf at Guiones?
Very consistent, with more than 330 rideable days a year. Surf-Forecast also rates the break as consistent.
What tide is best at Guiones?
Mid tide is best by our setup. The beach still works at other stages of the tide.
Are there sharks at Playa Guiones?
The Surf-Forecast guide warns surfers to watch out for sharks here. Rips in big swell are another real hazard.
Check the Guiones surf report before you paddle out
Look at the hourly table for a south-west swell, a north-east wind and a mid tide, then plan your session.